Adjustable follower-block for oil drilling and pumping rigs



F. E. BRAILE.

ADJUSTABLE FOLLOWER BLOCK FOR OIL DRILLING AND PUMPING RIGS.,

APPLICATION FILED AUG.29, 1919. #1,341,968, PatentedJune 1, 1920 C HWINHHHHTUMWHHW III MRI-

UNET

FRANK E. :BRAILE or sHAivrRocK, OKLAHOMA.

ADJUSTABLE roLLo'WER-BLOCK non. oIL DRILLING AND PUMPI'NG rues.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that FRANK E. BRAILE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Shamrock, in the county of Creek and State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in vAdjustable F ollower-Blocks for Oil Drilling and Pumping'R-igs; and Ido hereby declare the fol` lowmg to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, 'forming part of this specication.

This invention lrelates to wrist pin followers, and particularly to followers that are used in connection with the wrist pin and pitman of oil drilling and pumping riffs.

t present, in practically all oil drilling and pumping rigs the pitman is of wood and is provided with an elongated rectangular slot, usually termed the follower slot, in which the wrist pin is journaled. 'One part of the bearing for the pin is in one end of the follower slot and the other part of the bearing is in the face of a hard wooden block inserted in the follower slot and adj ustably held in place by a second, wedgeshaped pieceof hard Wood, called the key, driven in a second slot formedv in the pitman at right angles to the axis of the wrist pin bearing. This constructionis objectionable in several particulars, namely, thev pitman has to have a second slot cut therethrough for the key, thereby weakening the pitman, and, due to the constant jarring of the walking beam and pitman during both drilling and pumping operations, the key quite often becomes loose and is displaced from its slot, thus releasing the follower block, causing the beam to jar or pound dangerously, and, unless the power is 1mmediately shut off, the pitman will leave the wrist pin and fall through the Hoor, breaking the sucker rods, if in use on a pumping well or causing more or less trouble in a drilling well, depending upon thefoperation upon which the driller isengaged at theV j to be readily, quickly and securely applied f Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 1,1920 Application filed August 29, 1919. 'i

Serial No. 320,626.

to the pitman of practicallyl any of the oil drilling and pumping rigs now in use and, second, when the follower block isV Fig. 3 is a rear plan view of the pitman as shown in Fig. 1, the crank pin being removed to permit a better illustration of the essential parts.

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional viewion the line 4 4, Fig. 1.

.The pitman 10, which generally fin oilv pumpingfand drilling rigs is of wood, is provided with a longitudinally extending,

rectangular slot 11, called the followerk slot. One end'wall of slot 11 is provided with a semi-circular bearing surface 12 which in conjunction witha similarly shaped bearing surface .13 on one of the .filler blocks,

presently to be described, forms a bearing in which -is journaled the wrist pin 14 mounted in the crank 15. l The bearing surface 13in the filler block is provided with a recess 16 for lubricant which can be supplied thereto, through a duct 17 extending from the recess through lsaid blockto the exterior surface of the'` latter.

The follower block of the present invention consists of two hard wood filler blocks 18, 19, positioned in the follower slot 11 and adaptedV to be moved longitudinally thereof to permit them to be adjustedto any desired position, block 18 abutting the wrist pin at one end of the slot 11 and block 19 abutting the opposite end wall of Said slot when the several parts are properly'adjusted.

Filler vblocks 18, 19 have'their proximate faces- 20, 21 inclined with respectv to each other, face 20 of block 18 preferably lying ina plane parallel to the axis of kthe wrist pin bearing and when the blocks kare beingv assembled in the follower f slot they are spaced apart a suflicient distance to permit a wedging member 22 to be entered a short distance between them, further inward movement ofthe wedge being obtained in a manner to be presently described.

.VVedging member 22 is provided with a threaded bolt hole 23 in which works a threaded bolt 24 extending through they f ollower slot between the blocks 18, 19, with its longitudinal axis parallel to the axis of the wrist pin bearing. This bolt 241 projects through and is held against movement longitudinally7 of its axis by a metal rplate 25 rigidly secured to a xed portion of the structure, in the present instance it being shown secure'd'to the filler block 18 by a plurality of screws although, if desired, it may extend laterally of thev pitman across Y the follower slot 1l, taking its bearing against the face of the pitman.

Obviously by rotating bolt 24 in i the proper direction the wedge 22 will be drawn in between filler'blocks 18, 19, and the latter moved, longitudinally of the pitman slot into contactwith th'e'wrist pin and opposite end wall of the slot, respectively. A` j Bymounting the'wedge block 22 and bolt 24 Vso that the former moves in a line par- 5 allel to the axis of the wrist pin, the wedge maybe inserted between the filler blocks through the open side of the slot 11 and the provision of a second or key slot in the pit- Vman 1s rendered unnecessary. Furthermore,

' the filler blocks being adjustable longitudinally of the slot, they, with the wedge, may be utilized in a follower slot of practically any length, .thus `permitting the manufacture ofa follower lblock (and its associated elements) of one size only that can be placed of bolt 23, at right angles to the longitudi-v nal axis of the bolt is a relatively broad, Hat metal bar 26 adapted to lie close to the face of plate 25 and the face of the pitman. Extending through holes 27 in the pitman on opposite sidesof plate 25 are twov pins 28 adapted to engage bar 26 von its opposite sides, each of said pins28 being' provided with a broad flat head offset from the center of the pins so as to overlap the lface of bar 26.. The itwojpins prevent rotation of the boltin either direction.V The front and rear faces of the Vpitman are chambered Vout around holes 27 to allow the pinsl28 to be Y pushed in flushvwith the face of the pitman when the bolt is to be manipulated and then pushed out from the rearV toY catch bar'26' after'the follower has been adjusted;

VVWhat is claimed is: Y y

' 1. In an oil pumping or drilling rig, the

` combination with the pitman having' a rectangular follower slot therein, of a wrist pin adapted to be j ournaled in said slot and a follower com rising a pair of filler blocks removably an slidably mounted in the folloiverslot, one of said blocks having a bearing therein for the wrist pin, and'means 7C movable in one direction only parallel to the axis of the wristpin journal for adjusting said follower blocks longitudinally of the follower slot to compensate for wear on the wrist pin bearing, said filler blocks andA adjusting means being Aremovable fromv Vthe slot as a unit. Y

2. In an oil pumping or drilling rig, the combi-nation with the pitman having-a rectangular follower slot therein, of a wrist pin adapted to be journaled in said slot and a follower comprising a pair of filler blocks removably andV slidably mounted in the fol-'i llower slot, one ofsaid blocks having a bearing therein for the wrist pin, and removable means movable in one direction parallel. tok the axis of the wrist pin journal for adjusting said` follower blocks longitudinally of y the follower slot to compensate for wear on the wrist pin bearing, and movable in the opposite direction to permit removal of the filler blocks from the follower slot, and means for locking said blocks Yin adjusted position. x

v3. In an oil drilling or pumping rig, the combination with the pitman having a rectangular. follower slot therein, a wrist pin, and a wrist pin follower'c'omprising a pair of filler blocks adapted `to be moved longitudinally of the slot, one end wall of said 100 slot and the adj acentface of one of the filler Y blocks having a bearing formed therein in which the wrist pin is j ournaled, and the adjacent faces of the vfiller blocks being inclined with respect to each other, anda wedge member movable between the inclined faces of the follower blocks parallel to the axis' of the wrist pin journal for adjusting the filler blocks longitudinally of the slot to compensate for wear on the wrist pin bearing, detachable means supporting the'wedge member, said wedge member and filler blocks -being removable from the follower slot, and means for lockingV said blocks, in adjusted position.

4. In Van oilrdrilling or pumping rig, theY combination with the pitman having a rectangular' follower slot therein, ai wrist pin adapted to be j'ournaled in the followerslot, and a wrist pin follower comprising filler blocks adapted to be moved toward and away from each other in the follower slot, andv means movable parallel to the .axis of the wrist pin journal for adjusting the Vller blocks toward and away from each other to compensate forwear on the wrist pin, said filler blocks and adjusting means being removably secured in said slot, and a detachable supporting member for Ythe adjusting Y means.

5. In an oil drilling or pumping rig, the combination with the pitman having a rectangular follower slot therein, of a wrist pin and a wrist pin follower comprising a pair of filler blocks adapted to be moved toward and away from each other in the follower slot, one end wall of said slot and the proximate face of one of the filler blocks forming a bearing in which the wrist pin is journale'd and the adjacent faces of said blocks being inclined with respect to each other, a screw threaded bolt extending through the follower slot parallel to the axis of the wrist pin journal, detachable means supporting said bolt, and a wedge member positioned between the inclined faces of the filler blocks and having a screw-threaded aperture therethrough for ooperation with the bolt whereby said wedge member is movable parallel to the axis of the wrist pin journal to adjust the filler blocks toward and away from each other to compensate for wear on the wrist pin bearing.

6. A wrist pin follower block for the pitpendent of the pitman'for supporting said adjusting means in engagement with the filler blocks.

7. A compensating bearing for the wrist pin engaging pitman of'a well drilling rig, embodying a pair of blocks, one having a semi-cylindrical bearing for the' wrist pin and the proximate faces of said blocksbeing relatively inclined longitudinally of the axis of the bearing, a wedge between the proximate faces of the blocks, a screw for adjusting the wedge longitudinally of the axis of the bearing and an abutment carried by one of the blocks and fixed with relation to the blocks and with nwhich the screw coperates in effecting the adjustment of the wedde.

FRANK E. BRAE. 

